Latest Posts

  • rain ourside of window
    Uncategorized

    Spring Is Beautiful… and a Little Bit Rude (Migraine Season)

    March 28, 2026 /

    Spring in the Midwest is a strange kind of beautiful—and for me, it also brings a familiar set of spring migraine triggers. The light gets softer. The air shifts. You can feel something waking up again.And then… the storms roll in. There’s nothing more peaceful, while inside, than watching a spring storm.A warm drink, a quiet room, rain against the windows—it’s relaxing. Unless you dread it like me, especially when spring migraine triggers are at their peak. Then that same storm?Not your friend. I’ve had migraines for most of my life, and spring is when they tend to show up the most. I don’t get auras, so I don’t get…

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  • Cross-stitch project with yellow thread
    Calm Cross-Stitch

    5 Helpful Cross-Stitch Tips That Make a Big Difference

    March 22, 2026 /

    There are a few helpful cross stitch tips that I didn’t learn right away. Not big things. Not anything complicated. Just small, quiet details… the kind that don’t seem important until you realize how much easier they make everything. Some of them I learned over time. Some of them I learned the hard way. Here are 5 little things about cross-stitch that make a big difference. 🧵 1. Longer Thread Is Not Better I used to tell myself I was being efficient by making my thread really long so I wouldn’t have to stop and rethread so often. It sounds like a good plan… and for about one or two…

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  • Cross Stitched gold leaves with blue sky
    Simple Goods

    My Cross Stitch Hobby: The Stitch That Never Left

    March 14, 2026 /

    My cross stitch hobby is something I talk about often now, but the truth is my love of stitching started long before cross stitch ever entered the picture. I’ve been stitching for most of my life. Not cross stitch at first — just stitching in general. I learned how to sew by machine when I was seven years old. By eight, I had moved on to embroidery. At that age, a needle and thread felt like magic to me. You could start with a plain piece of fabric and somehow turn it into something beautiful. When I was growing up, I had two career goals. I was either going to…

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  • honeybee pollinating sunflower
    A Nod To Nature,  Lessons In Living

    Lessons In Living — Lesson #3: Silence is Golden

    March 8, 2026 /

    I’m really looking forward to sharing more here about the things I love — food, simple wellness, cross-stitch, and all the little creative things that make life feel good. Those things bring me joy, and they’re a big part of what this space is going to be about. But before I jump into all that, let me stop for a minute and talk about something else — silence is golden. This is something most of us already know, yet the benefits of silence are easy to overlook in a world that is constantly moving and talking. Every now and then, though, life has a way of reminding us of the…

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  • Frozen Lake Michigan with Chicago skyline during late winter in the Midwest.”
    A Nod To Nature,  Simple Days, Simple Ways

    March in the Midwest: Resilience, Robins, and Starting Over

    March 1, 2026 /

    Today brought news I didn’t expect. But instead of sitting in loss, I’m choosing to look ahead. It’s the last day of February — and March is waiting. March in the Midwest is not to be taken for granted — and anyone who has lived through it knows that. The Reality of March In The Midwest In February, you expect cold. So when the warm days sneak in, they feel like a bonus.But March in the Midwest? It’ll give you sunshine at noon and frostbite wind by 3:00 p.m. — doesn’t matter if you’re in Chicago, Michigan, or Indiana. Yesterday it was 60 degrees.Shorts. T-shirts. House windows open. Patio doors…

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